William was born on May 12, 1803, in Spencer, Massachussets, the son of Elijah and Fanny (Bemis) Howe. He was descended from John Howe, of Sudbury, who became a freeman of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1640. Very little is known of his early life except that he spent practically all of it in the vicinity of his birthplace and on or near the old family homestead.
His occupation was primarily farming, but he possessed an inventive trait which near the close of his life led him to design new forms of bridge structure. In the United States wood was used entirely in the construction of bridges, and the lattice or truss form of bridge was in common use, while in Europe the arch form was more in vogue.
In 1838 Howe was commissioned to construct a bridge at Warren, Massachussets, for the Boston & Albany Railroad. He incorporated in this bridge certain new features and after working upon the design for two years applied for and received two United States patents, on July 10 and August 3, 1840, respectively. His design was a truss with wooden diagonals and vertical iron ties in single or double systems. It is said to have been an improvement on the Long type of truss, invented by Col. Stephen H. Long in 1830, which was the first to incorporate the rectangular trussed frame.
Shortly after obtaining his patent Howe was given the opportunity to construct a bridge using his patented truss over the Connecticut River at Springfield, Massachussets, for the Western Railroad, later a part of the New York Central system. This was so successful that for the remainder of his life he was busily engaged in constructing both bridges and roofs of his design, and this work, together with royalties obtained through selling rights to his patent, brought him a considerable fortune. Many Howe truss bridges were built between the time of his invention and the development of the iron bridge.
On August 28, 1846, Howe obtained a third patent for an improvement on his original rectangular truss. This consisted of a curved timber running from each buttress to the center of the span. The innovation added greatly to the strength of the Howe truss bridge. In 1842 he designed and built a roof for the Boston & Worcester Railroad depot in Boston which made use of his patented truss and was completed with entire satisfaction.
Howe married Azubah Towne Stone of Charlton, Massachussets, on March 12, 1828.
